Dates: December 18 – December 30, 2013
Locations: Johannesburg & Durban, South Africa
Event: Two-Match Test Series (India vs. South Africa)
There is an undeniable psychological shift when a cricketer transitions from the colored clothing of One Day Internationals into the crisp, traditional white flannels of Test cricket.
The white-ball game is a sprint; it demands instant acceleration and constant improvisation. Test cricket, particularly in South Africa, is an absolute marathon of endurance. It strips away the superficial flashiness of the sport and ruthlessly exposes any microscopic flaw in a player's technique, patience, and physical courage.
The Indian squad arrived at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg fully aware of the history stacked against them. The pitch, famously known as the 'Bullring', was a fast bowler's paradise. It offered steep, terrifying bounce and late lateral movement. South Africa possessed the most lethal pace trio in world cricket: Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, and Vernon Philander.
It was an environment designed to break touring teams.
Match 1: The Wanderers
MS Dhoni won the toss on a bright, cool Wednesday morning and made the incredibly brave decision to bat first on a green-tinged pitch.
Up in the commentary box, the broadcast team set the stage for the opening session.
"Welcome to the Wanderers, ladies and gentlemen," Harsha Bhogle announced. "MS Dhoni has won the toss and elected to bat first. It is a bold call. The pitch has a significant covering of live grass, and under these overcast Johannesburg skies, the ball is going to dart around."
"It is the ultimate test of technique, Harsha," Sunil Gavaskar added, his tone serious. "Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander with a brand new red Kookaburra ball in these conditions... the Indian openers are going to have to leave the ball incredibly well. If they play away from their bodies, they will be packing their bags very quickly."
The first session was a brutal initiation. Steyn and Philander were relentless, pitching the ball up and making it seam away from the right-handers. Shikhar Dhawan fell early, caught in the slip cordon, and Murali Vijay was dismissed shortly after by a rising delivery from Morkel.
At 24 for 2, India was staring down the barrel of a familiar overseas collapse.
Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara stabilized the innings, grinding through to the lunch break. Pujara eventually fell for 25 in the afternoon session, bringing Siddanth Deva to the crease to join his aggressive teammate.
"A massive test for Siddanth Deva right now," Gavaskar noted on the broadcast as Siddanth took his guard. "He has been in phenomenal form in limited-overs cricket, but this is Dale Steyn with a red ball on a fresh Johannesburg pitch. He needs to leave the ball well and play incredibly close to his body."
Siddanth didn't attempt to dominate the bowling. He understood the fundamental rule of Test cricket in these conditions: you have to earn the right to score runs.
For the first thirty deliveries he faced, Siddanth didn't hit a single boundary. He left the ball meticulously outside the off-stump, letting Philander's outswingers carry harmlessly through to AB de Villiers behind the stumps. He defended Steyn with a dead straight bat, ensuring his head was perfectly positioned over the ball to negate the extra bounce.
At the other end, Virat Kohli was playing the innings of a lifetime. The fiery batsman was leaving brilliantly and capitalizing on anything overpitched.
Slowly, Siddanth and the fiery Delhi batsman built a massive partnership. Once the Kookaburra ball grew soft after the 50th over, Siddanth began to open up. He rocked onto the back foot to pull Morne Morkel forcefully through mid-wicket, and executed a flawless, high-elbow straight drive off Jacques Kallis.
Kohli brought up a spectacular century, raising his bat to the quiet but respectful South African crowd. Siddanth, showing immense patience and discipline, matched him stroke for stroke. In the final session, Siddanth stepped into a half-volley from Vernon Philander and drove it smoothly through the covers for a boundary to bring up a gritty, hard-fought century of his own.
"A magnificent hundred for Siddanth Deva!" Sunil Gavaskar praised on the broadcast as Siddanth removed his helmet, acknowledging the dressing room with a tired but satisfied smile. "He had to completely curb his natural attacking instincts today, but he has shown absolute class to reach 100 on a very difficult Wanderers pitch."
Siddanth was eventually dismissed late in the day for a solid 105, edging a brilliant, late-swinging delivery from Philander to first slip. Kohli fell shortly after for a magnificent 119.
Thanks to the twin centuries, India finished their first innings on a highly competitive 325.
When South Africa came out to bat on Day 2, the Indian fast bowlers responded in kind. Zaheer Khan, the veteran left-armer, swung the ball beautifully, while Ishant Sharma used his height to hit the pitch hard.
MS Dhoni handed the ball to Siddanth right before the tea break. Siddanth utilized his natural hit-the-deck style, bowling heavy, unyielding lengths. He dismissed the dangerous Hashim Amla with a sharp inswinger that trapped him LBW, and later removed JP Duminy with a well-disguised slower bouncer.
South Africa was bowled out for 244, giving India a highly valuable 81-run lead.
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The third day belonged entirely to Cheteshwar Pujara. The quiet, stoic number three batsman built an absolute wall at the crease. While the South African pacers threw everything at him, Pujara simply absorbed the pressure, leaving the ball for hours on end.
When Virat Kohli fell for 96, narrowly missing out on historic twin centuries in Johannesburg, he was visibly furious with himself. As Kohli walked off the pitch, aggressively smacking his bat against his pads in frustration, Siddanth crossed paths with him on his way to the middle.
Siddanth stopped him, tapping his helmet gently with a gloved hand. "You just batted them out of the game, Cheeku," Siddanth said firmly. "The milestone doesn't matter, the win does. Go rest."
Kohli nodded, taking a deep breath, the anger subsiding as he walked up the pavilion steps.
With India holding a lead of over 250 runs, the mandate from the dressing room was clear: accelerate the scoring and set a target that would be impossible to chase.
Siddanth shifted gears as he joined Pujara. He was able to attack freely only because Pujara had spent seven hours at the crease, essentially turning the fearsome Kookaburra ball into a soft, harmless piece of leather. While Pujara continued his absolute, boredom-inducing defense to frustrate the pace cartel, eventually reaching a brilliant 153, Siddanth took the attack to the tired South African bowlers.
He stepped out of his crease to negate Philander's seam movement and ruthlessly pulled Morne Morkel's short balls.
Siddanth scored a rapid, punishing 104 not out off just 110 balls, bringing up his second century of the match with a massive six over mid-wicket, before MS Dhoni called them in. India eventually declared late on Day 4, setting South Africa a monumental, world-record target of 458 runs to win.
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No team in the history of Test cricket had ever successfully chased 458 runs in the fourth innings. The pitch had developed widening cracks, and the bounce was becoming highly unpredictable.
However, South Africa possessed a batting lineup of legendary quality.
Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers produced one of the greatest rearguard actions in modern cricket history. As the fifth day wore on, they didn't just defend; they actively scored. They blunted the Indian pace attack, capitalizing on the flattening pitch.
As the final session of the Test match began, the impossible suddenly looked entirely probable. South Africa needed just 56 runs to win from 15 overs, with 6 wickets in hand. De Villiers was batting on 103, and du Plessis was on 110.
The Indian fielding unit looked physically exhausted and mentally drained. MS Dhoni tossed the ball to Siddanth.
Siddanth took the old, scuffed red Kookaburra ball. The second new ball was already over forty overs old. Unlike the SG balls used in India, the Kookaburra had a less pronounced seam, making reverse swing incredibly difficult to achieve once it flattened out. He knew he had to rely entirely on raw pace and a tiny crack in the pitch, making this spell an absolute masterclass in physical endurance.
It came down to pure, unadulterated execution.
He ran in to bowl the 122nd over of the innings to AB de Villiers. He aimed for the widening crack located just outside the off-stump on a good length.
He hit the crack perfectly.
The ball kept incredibly low, darting sharply back into the right-hander. De Villiers, attempting a defensive push, couldn't get his bat down in time. The ball caught the inside edge and crashed heavily into his stumps.
The Indian team exploded. The 205-run partnership was broken.
AB de Villiers: b Deva 103
Two overs later, sensing the opening, Siddanth bowled a brilliant lifter to Faf du Plessis. The ball climbed sharply off a length, took the shoulder of the bat, and MS Dhoni completed a simple catch behind the stumps.
With their two centurions gone, the South African lower order completely collapsed under the extreme pressure of the required run rate. Zaheer Khan and Mohammed Shami quickly cleaned up the tail.
South Africa was bowled out for 420.
India had won by 37 runs. It was one of the most historic, hard-fought overseas Test victories in Indian cricket history.
As the final wicket fell, Siddanth didn't pump his fist and walk off easily. He bent over, resting his hands heavily on his knees, his shoulders absolutely burning from the 28-over spell. He was barely able to lift his arm to high-five Kohli. It was a monumental victory, but it felt genuinely, painfully hard-earned.
"What a breathtaking conclusion to an absolute classic!" Harsha Bhogle announced over the post-match broadcast as Dhoni collected the winning trophy. "The Indians held their nerve when the game was slipping away. Pujara's brilliant 153 laid the platform, and Deva's hostile fast bowling at the death sealed the deal. He becomes one of the rare players to score twin centuries in an overseas Test! They take a 1-0 lead into Durban."
SIDDANTH DEVA MATCH 1 STATS: Batting: 105 & 104* | Bowling: 2 for 48 & 2 for 55
Match 2: Kingsmead, Durban
The Indian squad traveled to Durban with a 1-0 lead, carrying the immense possibility of winning their first-ever Test series on South African soil.
However, the second Test at Kingsmead was overshadowed by a monumental announcement. Jacques Kallis, arguably the greatest all-rounder in the history of the sport, announced that this would be his final Test match before retiring. The emotional weight in the stadium was palpable.
Up in the commentary box, Ravi Shastri and Shaun Pollock set the stage for the final encounter.
"A very warm welcome to Kingsmead, Durban, for the second and final Test of this gripping series," Ravi Shastri boomed across the feed. "India holds a 1-0 lead, but South Africa is a wounded tiger at home. Shaun, this Durban pitch has a very different character compared to Johannesburg, doesn't it?"
"It certainly does, Ravi," Shaun Pollock noted, looking down at the 22 yards. "It's much slower. It doesn't have that terrifying, steep bounce. But as the game progresses, it will offer significant grip for the spinners and reverse swing for the fast bowlers. MS Dhoni has won the toss and elected to bat first, hoping to put a large total on the board and let his spinners do the work on Day 4 and 5."
Murali Vijay was the star of the Indian first innings, playing an incredibly patient, disciplined knock of 97. The rest of the top order, however, struggled against the relentless accuracy of Dale Steyn, who was bowling with a fierce, burning determination to level the series.
Siddanth came in at 199 for 4. He dug in, playing a supporting role. The slow nature of the pitch meant driving on the up was dangerous. He relied on working the ball square of the wicket, rotating the strike heavily. He grinded out a valuable 40 runs from 95 balls before falling to a brilliant, diving catch by Robin Peterson at gully off the bowling of Morne Morkel.
India managed to post a total of 334. It was a competitive score, but perhaps fifty runs short of a commanding total.
The Kallis Farewell
When South Africa came out to bat, the entire Indian team formed two lines at the edge of the boundary rope, offering Jacques Kallis a highly respectful Guard of Honor as he walked to the crease for the final time in Test cricket. MS Dhoni stepped forward from the wicket-keeper position, took off his right glove, and personally shook Kallis's hand before the South African took his guard, a silent passing of respect from one great to another.
Once the pleasantries were over, the battle resumed.
The Indian bowlers toiled incredibly hard under the hot, humid Durban sun. Ravindra Jadeja bowled endlessly from one end, trying to extract turn from the slow surface.
Siddanth was utilized as the workhorse of the pace attack. He bowled long, exhausting spells, repeatedly running in and hitting the pitch hard, trying to force an error. He managed to break crucial partnerships, dismissing Graeme Smith with a sharp bouncer that the captain gloved to MS Dhoni, and later removing AB de Villiers with a brilliant, reverse-swinging yorker.
But the story of the innings belonged to the retiring legend.
Jacques Kallis, demonstrating exactly why he was an all-time great, played a flawless, magnificent innings. He anchored the South African batting order, absorbing everything the Indian bowlers threw at him. He brought up his 45th and final Test century, taking off his helmet and raising his bat to a tearful, roaring Kingsmead crowd.
By the time Kallis was finally dismissed for 115, the Indian players didn't just celebrate the wicket; every single player on the field rushed over to shake his hand and congratulate him on a monumental career before he walked off.
With the foundation set, the South African lower order contributed significantly, and the Proteas finished with a commanding first-innings total of 500, securing a massive lead of 166 runs.
The Steyn Masterclass
India began their second innings late on Day 3, facing a deficit of 166 runs on a deteriorating pitch.
What followed was one of the most devastating spells of fast bowling in modern Test history. Dale Steyn, finding conventional swing early and reverse swing later, absolutely destroyed the Indian top order.
Steyn dismissed Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay in rapid succession. Cheteshwar Pujara was bowled by an unplayable delivery that swung in late. Virat Kohli was controversially given out caught behind down the leg side off Morne Morkel, and with no DRS available in the series, he had no choice but to walk.
At 68 for 4, India was in deep, undeniable trouble.
Siddanth walked out to the middle, his face grim, his bat feeling heavy. The situation was desperate. India was still trailing by 98 runs, and Dale Steyn was breathing fire, charging in at 150 kmph.
"This is about pure survival now," Shaun Pollock noted on the broadcast. "Siddanth Deva has to farm the strike, protect the lower order, and somehow wipe out this deficit. If they don't, South Africa will win this by an innings."
Siddanth took his guard. He tapped the pitch, ignoring the hostile chatter from the South African slip cordon.
For the next four hours, Siddanth fought a brutal, incredibly lonely battle. He completely abandoned his aggressive white-ball instincts. He played with an incredibly soft bottom hand, dropping the ball dead at his feet. When Steyn bowled short, aiming for the ribcage, Siddanth didn't hook or pull; he simply took the blows on his body, refusing to give away his wicket.
In the middle of the blockathon, Steyn bowled a vicious bouncer that hit Siddanth flush on the bicep. Instead of apologizing, Steyn walked down the pitch, smiled ruthlessly, and said, "We aren't wearing orange today, Sid. You're in my backyard now."
Siddanth didn't rub the impact zone. He simply tapped the pitch and nodded, acknowledging the brutal nature of the format.
Rohit Sharma offered some resistance, scoring 25 before falling to Vernon Philander. MS Dhoni grinded out 15 runs before chipping a catch to mid-wicket.
By the time the deficit was finally wiped out, Siddanth was batting with the tail. He shifted his strategy, heavily farming the strike to protect Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami from Steyn. He began to play his shots, hitting Robin Peterson for a pair of boundaries and pulling Morkel fiercely to the square leg fence.
He continued to push the score, fighting tooth and nail for every single run to set a target for the hosts. He moved smoothly through the nineties. With a hard-run double to deep square leg, he brought up his century—a spectacular, backs-to-the-wall 100 that showcased immense physical and mental endurance. It was a gritty, bruising milestone that received a standing ovation from the Indian dressing room.
But he ran out of partners.
Zaheer Khan was trapped LBW by Robin Peterson, and in the very next over, Mohammed Shami had his off-stump uprooted by Dale Steyn.
India was bowled out for 235.
Siddanth was left stranded at the non-striker's end on a magnificent, unbeaten 102 off 210 balls. He took off his helmet, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and walked off the pitch to the warm applause of the Durban crowd, having single-handedly ensured that South Africa would have to bat again.
The Final Handshake
Due to Siddanth's lone resistance, South Africa was set a target of 70 runs to win the match and level the series.
It was a mere formality on a pitch that had flattened out significantly for the new ball. Graeme Smith and Alviro Petersen came out and chased the target down in just 13.2 overs without losing a single wicket.
South Africa won the match by 10 wickets.
The two-match Test series officially ended in a 1-1 draw.
As the final runs were hit, Siddanth stood at mid-off. He pulled his cap off, wiping his face. The physical toll of the two matches was immense. The bruises on his body ached, and his legs felt incredibly heavy.
But as he walked toward the pitch to shake hands with Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis, he felt a deep sense of satisfaction. They had come to the most hostile fast-bowling environment in the world and matched them blow for blow over ten brutal days of cricket.
They hadn't won the series, but they had earned the absolute respect of the South African soil.
The post-match presentation was a deeply emotional affair, focused entirely on celebrating the magnificent career of Jacques Kallis, who was awarded Man of the Match for his farewell century.
"A truly fitting end to a spectacular career," Ravi Shastri announced on the global broadcast as Kallis lifted his award. "South Africa bounces back beautifully to draw the series 1-1. MS, your team fought incredibly hard over the last two weeks, particularly today with Siddanth's gritty unbeaten century. How do you assess the tour?"
"We played some very good cricket, Ravi," Dhoni spoke eloquently into the microphone. "Winning in Johannesburg was a massive achievement for this young side. South Africa dominated us here in Durban, and Dale Steyn was simply unplayable with that reversing ball. But I am very proud of the resilience the boys showed, especially Sid out there batting with the tail and scoring those twin centuries in the first game. It's a fair result to a hard-fought series."
As the two teams posed together with the shared series trophy, Siddanth stood in the back row, his arms draped over the shoulders of Virat Kohli and Ishant Sharma.
The South African tour was officially over. They had survived the fire. Now, the team would return home to India, rest their battered bodies, and prepare for the entirely different challenge of the upcoming T20 World Cup.
SIDDANTH DEVA MATCH 2 STATS: Batting: 40 & 102* | Bowling: 4 for 88 & DNB